Reading in the New York Times site a couple of days ago, I clicked on a link for an obituary. Normally, I do not read these — why be reminded of mortality? But this one intrigued because of the by-line that the dead woman had single-handedly given Japanese women certain important rights when the Japanese Constitution was written after World War II.

This woman Beate Gordon was fluent in several languages — including Japanese, which she had learned as a girl living in Japan with her parents who were musicians. Because of her linguistic fluency, she went with General MacArthur to Japan as an interpreter in 1945. Her real reason for going was to find her parents who had been missing for several years. She did find them in an internment camp for foreigners. But then in February 1946, she was the only woman on a committee of men who were drafting the Constitution. She inserted a few words — not many — and those words enshrined rights for women such as free choice of spouse, ownership of property, inheritance. She also put in language that forbade discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex, social status. No language protecting sexuality though.

What a fascinating woman. A biography was written of her — in Japanese. And she was apparently very proud that Japanese women wanted their pictures taken with her.

Here is the link for the full obituary: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/02/world/asia/beate-gordon-feminist-heroine-in-japan-dies-at-89.html?smid=pl-share